KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 — Two community representatives at the centre of a viral video allegedly showing them soliciting a bribe from a Wangsa Maju massage parlour have denied the accusation, insisting they were only conducting a “routine monitoring” visit in their official capacities.

Vijeyndran Ravichadran, 39, deputy chairman of the Federal Territory Residents Representative Council (MPPWP) Sub Zone 2 for Wangsa Maju, and Paarthiydasan Ganesan, 33, chairman of  Sub Zone 6 for Wangsa Maju, both filed police reports after an eight-minute CCTV clip of the incident was posted on the “Kelab Penyokong Perikatan Nasional” Facebook page.

The video’s caption accused the pair of extorting (“pow”) the business.

In his police report, Paarthiydasan stated that he was on an official visit to the premises on March 24, wearing his official uniform and having presented a card to prove his identity.

“The recording clearly shows I never made any statements or actions that could be interpreted as an attempt to extort money,” he wrote.

Similarly, Vijeyndran stated that his role was to gather information following multiple public complaints about unlicensed massage parlours “sprouting like mushrooms” in the area.

He said he had requested the management’s contact details from the counter staff to verify the legality of the business.

“It was a routine check, nothing more,” he clarified.

In a joint media statement, both men questioned the motive behind leaking the footage with “malicious” captions and urged the authorities to investigate the licenses of such establishments.

The viral clip reportedly shows the two men, identifying themselves as members of MPPWP, asking the business owner for money in exchange for allowing the operation to continue.

Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh directed authorities to investigate the allegations contained in the video.

The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) also issued a statement disavowing the incident and rejected links to the alleged extortion, abuse of power, or unlawful conduct.